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It seems to me Valentine’s Day is a “holiday” (with none of the perks) designed by Hallmark and Kay Jewelers to pump up slagging post-holiday sales, and in doing so, they gave this country a new definition for the “haves,” and “have-nots.” Singles everywhere are given a full twenty-four hours to ponder why nobody loves them, and miserably dwell on if anyone ever will. It’s a cruel, unnecessary day, and one I look forward to with dismay, if not for myself, then for my lonely single sisterhood, who are practically forced to wallow in low self-esteem and cheap chocolates.

That being said, I half-heartedly checked out a new song with the caption “A Valentines MP3 For You” expecting, quite frankly, to abhor it. And as per usual, when I approach new things with a bad attitude, quite the opposite happens, as it did with Les Chauds Lapinssingle Je t’aime off their upcoming full-length Amourettes. I found it to be one of the most delightful, delectable and infectious pieces of music I’ve heard in a long time. Led by Kurt Hoffman and Meg Reichardt, this titillating throwback to French cabarets and American jazz joints, is a fresh breath of provocative, art-pop air. In addition, I couldn’t be more stupéfié that this swinging, retro-modern cabaret quintet hails from Brooklyn, N.Y. As a diehard Francophile, I may be a bit biased, but I find it hard to believe anyone could hear this dazzling homage to French chanson and not immediately find it a soothing salve for an aching heart. The nearest contemporaries I can think of might be Portland’s Pink Martini, but anyone who has ever been besotted with Josephine Baker, Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Charles Trenet, Cole Porter, or Joe Dassin will fall tragically in love with Les Chauds Lapins’ Amourettes, out March 22nd on Barbès Records. In a world full of cheap Valentines, the sensuous Je t’aime from this lusty group named after “the hot rabbits” is truly an authentic, heartfelt gem.